thinking of spring, sort of

Another frigid day in Western Mass. In the last week, all the rivers that weren't frozen already have succumbed to the cold, and the trees are very brittle. There are quite a few birds about, though, more than I'm used to seeing in frigid January. Usually they start being more visible in Feb., but as I learned in _Winter World_ by Bernd Heinrich, most birds survive without hibernating. They either fly south or they forage constantly all day to keep their body temperature up. Next time you think the winter wood is devoid of life when it's so cold, think again, then go read this book.

Last week, I spent some time thinking about my jewelry business, and I decided that I need to get a few commitments earlier in the year, so that I will be motivated to keep working during, say, March. As soon as I stopped in Feb last year, it was like unto the kiss of death until July...no good at all. So next week, if everything works out, Morgan and I will be taking a little gallery tour and checking out some places in Northampton and Amherst, and I intend to submit pictures to one of the galleries in Brattleboro. We'll see. The Arts Co-op is still the best place for me to market my work, which is good, since I put so much work into it.

In the meantime, I am trying to juggle my day job and my other jobs and the jewelry. My second day back at work felt like the Twilight Zone. Now it's off to Morris practice, though my motivation is quite low today; it always is when I start practice in the winter, mostly because it's so cold and Beltane is so far off...layers and layers and layers of clothing on now, to practice for an activity that happens in spring, when the hawthorn blooms and we skinnydip in the rivers of Western Mass. Ooooooo no skinnydipping right now, please. Just the thought of it makes my...um, nevermind.